With Donald Trump, Has Narcissism Become Presidential?
Donald Trump's political career looks different. He has been dubbed a narcissist.
"And I'm also sure that whenever he hears the label, he says, "Thank you," according to Holly Brown, psychcentral.
What is worrying about Donald Trump is that he is proud of it. "He is shamelessly selfish, and misogynistic, and completely lacking in empathy. Yet his fans/supporters like this about him!"
As another expert in wdsu put it: "Donald Trump's behavior on stage Thursday night and in the days that have followed strike many as unfathomable: How can anyone act so arrogantly and meanly in public life?"
Hence, narcissism is actually being rewarded. Most people rise to the top but pretend that it is otherwise. While CEOs pretend that they are there to benefit their employees as well as their shareholders, you cannot make a mistake about it. They are there to benefit themselves.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, does not pretend anything. He just declares his selfisheness as a badge of honour, trumping his "honesty".
Many find that refreshing, glad that 'here's a politician that tells the truth, finally!' says Holly Brown.
The loss of empathy, then, seems to indicate a "collective mental health" of the US. Brown adds: "We aggrandize narcissism, when we applaud its candor, we're saying that empathy is for losers and liars. That's a dangerous idea."
What is important is to maintain the balance between self-interest and self-conrol----pursuing our own interests, but not at the expense of other people. True happiness and mental health lies there.
Donald Trump, therefore, seems very proud of himself, of his 'honest' selfishness and his denigration of women.
"He's an absurdly rich toddler," points out Brown.
What marks Donald Trump out is his uniqueness and his difference from others. Some children might even try to emulate him, but while he might make content interesting, he is a lousy role-model for anyone.
As huffingtonpost summed it up: "We are at a time where diplomacy is needed more than ever, so putting an unfiltered, volatile, self-proclaimed politically incorrect narcissist in office is a ticking time bomb."
